Keen, as always to misrepresent statistics to suggest things are bad in the country they pretend to report the news on, BBC Scotland simplify to disturb.
The graph below reveals a one-year increase in water deaths, especially in those parts of the UK, Wales and Scotland, where water-based activities attract visitors from across the UK to their colder and deeper waters.
So, a one-year change which is not evidence of a newsworthy trend and the simple consequence of a surge in staycations triggered by the pandemic constraints on foreign travel.
Not the news.
Talking-up Scotland 
I thought this was an appalling and hateful headline – it is exulting in the deaths of people.
It is not about public safety. It is a malign petty political point scoring. Mr Christopher Sleight should be ashamed of himself, but he has probably written his application to join the propaganda unit in Elizabeth House.
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What makes you think Sleight is not already in their employ ?
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Aye, read that article earlier and it was clear the emphasis was not on identifying cause rather than by the second paragraph highlighting SG’s policy target, in similar fashion to their endless articles on A&E waiting time targets, context free.
The Cardiff 13 year old who drowned in the Taff is simply is reported as a tragic death in Wales, whilst in Scotland a 3 per million increase in drownings gets the full Sleight of hand bulk treatment in prime position…
Why make a great song and dance on this aside criticism of SG policy ?
Diversion –
They knew the ONS report would hit the news as per the UK headline article “UK inflation hits 9.1% as prices rise at fastest rate for 40 years”.
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Looking at the graph it appears Scotland’s water drownings are mostly higher than rUk with England at the lower end presumably as people south of the border are fearful of swimming in their sewage.
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I see that the article has completely disappeared from the BBC Scotland site.
I had thought that perhaps it scunnered even some BBC staff, but, they have just replaced it with more exultation about misfortune – a 30% rise in Covid infections in Scotland. Covid has been politicised by the BBC and unionists since the start of the epidemic, with every time a Scotland datum is worse than the other three countries – a rare occurrence -it is exultantly pointed out, with Jackie Baillie quoted as ‘this is pure bad. Humza Yusuf must go’.
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Aye, the second diversion story for Scots, whilst the headline UK piece “UK inflation rises at fastest rate for 40 years as food costs jump” rumbles on with 8,204 comments and counting…
It’s rare to see such blatant manipulation of news for political purpose by the BBC and Scotland Office, not once but twice – Can’t have the Scots discussing a subject equally as important to them as in England, but which may open a nationalist angle…
It’s not the story ON the page which matters but what it crowds OFF.
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PS – The original drownings diversion piece hasn’t “completely disappeared from the BBC Scotland site”, it was demoted to the “Features & Analysis” section beneath https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-61803635
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